Symbolic Action in the Public Space

Display Schedule

Code	Completion	Credits	Range	Language Instruction	Semester
202SYM	Z	2	24S	Czech	winter

Subject guarantor

Name of lecturer(s)

Radek CHLUP

Learning outcomes of the course unit

Learn to actively create symbols and work with them with an awareness of all the advantages and disadvantages of symbolic communication.
Adopt critique skills of symbolic behaviour, that is, an ability to recognize and clearly identify what a given symbolic behaviour signifies and what it doesn't.
Learn to share those issues and skills with a non-academic public as well.

Mode of study

Course.

Prerequisites and co-requisites

The class will accept only students attend the introductory class on Friday 21.9. at 15:00 at the Hybernia Campus. After this date the course will be closed.

Considering that the Charles University, Faculty of Philosophy registration begins on 21.9. I recommend all Charles University Faculty of Philosophy students to arrange this with me by email (radek.chlup@ff.cuni.cz). For DAMU students the contact person is Daniela Grohova (daniela.grohova@gmail.com).

Course contents

Annotation

Symbols are traditionally one of the most powerful communication tools. They are able to say a lot in a short time. They represent images, which function as dense short complex realities. They function at the subconsious level and speak primarily through body language. Therefore they demonstrate associative evocations of feelings and attitudes and link various mental moods. In contrast to common, rational-verbal communications symbols have number of disadvantages. They are essentially ambiguous and therefore not able to clearly present concrete communications (which could be better said), but any presented communication is rather blurred and open to various interpretations. The result of this is that the audience may easily be missed and remain misunderstood. At the same time the ambiguity increases the probability that it will resonate at some important levels with the audience (to clear a message may be easily rejected) and attract more active participation where the importance will be found.

All these advantages and disadvantages must be well understood by everyone who wishes to work with these symbols In our clss we will not no only understand the issues of symbolic communication in theory (based on readings and discussions about them) but will deal with them in the field. The space for this is provided by The Velvet Light: a carneval parade of civil initiatives which since 2012 has been a yearly state holiday on the 17th of October going through the center of the city and in which participate civil initiatives (so called "Kliky') with the aid of giant masks, allegorical constructions and entertainment pamphlets with the accompaniment of live music symbolically creating social topics. (see: www.sametoveposviceni.cz). The Velvelt Light each year provides space for researching new potential of how to symbolically understand various current topics. Thanks to this, it will be the perfect laboratory for us in which we will be able to observe the creation and function of symbols and review them live.

This class is also run in parallel at the Institute of Philosophy and Religion of the Faculty of Philosophy at Charles University and at the Dept of Original Art and Education of DAMU which begins on 21. 9.

Course content

In The Velvet Light it is important to collaborte with the organizers and participating groups („Kliks“). The Kliks bring their topics and perosnal engagement and organzers offer space for and tools for their symbolic understanding and creation. It is a type of social meeting (so called, „idea market“ and „topic digestion“) where the Kliks present their topics and the first version of their symbolic understanding, through individual work with each Klik for which the organizers have available an artist and a dramaturg. For the class, the key figure is the dramaturg whose role is to, with the given Klik and its artist to sensitively help in the search for appropriate symbol tools. This dramaturgical skill of symbolic behaviour will be cultivated in our class.

Considering the students are just beginning to work with symbolic behaviour it is typically best to start in the role of assistant dramaturg, and those more courageous or experienced to function as the dramaturg themselves. Each participant will be a part of one of the Kliks and partipate in all dramaturgy debates, as well as group presenations on „topic digestions“. The group will continue to later preparation phases in the construction of masks and practice of symbol performances. During these preparations we will regularly meet, review as a group on the experiences of all participants and explain what has come from the creation of symbols and pitfalls of symbolic communication. The peak of the course will be participation in The Velvet LIght itself. We will be in the role of observer and will learn „ritual critique“, that is, we will map out what aspects of symbolic behaviour in the parade worked and what did not. All observations from each participant will be written in to a paper of several pages in which each Klik will be critically evaluated in their artistic topic and its comprehension, behaviour and gesture during the parade, masks and pamphlets. The will be a final group discussion on those reviews.

Assessment methods and criteria

Grades will be awarded for (1) particpation in all main class activities (one absence is allowed and only in one of the activities in progress, meaning not, for example at the introductory or closing class or the course of them) and (2) for timely submission (by 25-11, 23:59) review of the Summer course.

Schedule for winter semester 2018/2019:

The schedule has not yet been prepared

Schedule for summer semester 2018/2019: